Rowan's Creek 12* yo Bourbon

Rowan's Creek 12 yo* Bourbon, 750 ml, standard bottle, no package, 100 proof, about $30-35



Rowan's Creek 12 yo Bourbon is another of the small batch bourbons so popular now. This one along with Noah's Mill and Johnny Drum 15 yo (both to be reviewed later) is made by Kentucky Bourbon Distillers. What makes it a bit unusual is that it was distilled on 8/11/87 and bottled on 10/27/03, a period of over 16 years but is listed at only 12 years old. Also, the distill date is exactly the same as the bottle of Noah's Mill I have.

To start with this is the most filled bottled I've seen. The bourbon was all the way to the bottom of the cork giving me an extra shot compared to a standard fill. The person who bottled it must have not been paying attention The nose is one filled with fruit, orange, raisens and figs rise out of the glass with something like hay in the far background. The taste confirms the fruitiness but this passes quickly to a sweet maple-like flavor and raisens. Altogether not bad at all. For being 100 proof there isn't much alcohol tingle like one would expect. The finish is faily short but this just leaves you wanting more. A surprising bourbon that I really didn't expect much from, I know better now

I can recommend this bourbon for those looking for something different from the standard Makers Mark (for example). If you like Booker's Bourbon I think you'll like this one too. While not the Holy Grail of Bourbon I'd say buy some if you happen to find it. :thumbs:

I'll be reviewing the Noah's Mill next and I'll be interested in seeing what differences there are cnsidering the distill dates are the same and both are from the same manufacturer.

AVB said:

To start with this is the most filled bottled I've seen. The bourbon was all the way to the bottom of the cork giving me an extra shot compared to a standard fill. The person who bottled it must have not been paying attention

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Must have been bottled after "lunch" time. Another great review, thanks AVB.

After lunchmay not be too far off if they do the dram the way some of the Scotch makers used to. Here is a small part of an interview with Denis McBain the Coopersmith for Balvenie since 1958.


Q: HAVE THERE BEEN MANY CHANGES?

A: The biggest change as far as the workforce is concerned during my time here was the stopping of “the dram”.We used to start work at 7a.m. and the first thing you did was to take your dram. That would give you a wee bit of a kick to get on with your work! Another dram would be taken at lunch time, and finally a third one at finishing time. We used to work 48 hours a week then which included working 4 hours on a Saturday morning. If you happened to be in the right place on a Saturday morning you got a starter dram at 7a.m., another if you helped with the bonding, another if you helped “throw the mash”, another if you were in the malt barns, and of course a final dram when you finished at 12 noon. A lot of happy people went home on a Saturday at lunch time!

Q: HOW BIG WERE THE DRAMS?

A: The drams were dispensed in a copper measure. We coppersmiths had the job of making the measures when the old one got bashed! So, we made sure that the new measure was a wee bit bigger than the last one! It was probably 3 times a pub measure. Each dram would have been that size and if the pourer had a shaky hand then you got a big one because it spilled over the measure and into the glass!


I gotta find me a job like that! :love:

I stumbled across some Rowans today and picked myself up a bottle. It was 28 and change so I am glad I got it. I'll be sampling it tonight and I'll have to post how it was. They also had the Noah's Mill and I think I will be grabbing that also.

D